Senior Development Officer

The Service & Team:

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Development Officer in the Development Management Team at Cornwall Council. We are a dynamic and successful local planning authority with a strong focus on team work to help the Council achieve its mission of working with communities for a carbon neutral Cornwall where everyone can start well live well and age well. Cornwall has a diverse range of both urban rural and coastal locations which itself provides a number of exciting and diverse planning challenges offering a beautiful place to live work and play.

The Role:

Working as part of a friendly team youll be responsible for managing and determining complex planning applications and leading on the provision of professional advice through all stages of the planning process including Planning Performance Agreements and S106 negotiations. You will be adept at providing high quality service that is responsive to customer demands working with a wide range of stakeholders from applicants and developers to Elected Members to Town and Parish Councils to Consultees to members of the public. You will support more junior development officers contribute to strategic planning and help drive performance and income targets.

By joining us as a Senior Development Officer youll not only be offered a competitive benefits package youll also be part of a team committed to shaping the future of Cornwall for generations to come.

Working Pattern:

The council is committed to promoting a healthy work-life balance and offers a variety of working patterns to suit the needs of our employees. The standard working hours for this role are 37 hours per week typically spread over five days Monday to Friday. However we understand that flexibility is key to maintaining a productive and happy workforce and we offer several flexible working options:

• Compressed Hours: Employees have the option to work their total contracted hours over fewer days allowing for longer weekends or additional days off during the week.
• Hybrid Work Arrangements: We support a blend of office-based and remote working enabling employees to work from home for part of the week. This arrangement helps reduce commuting time and allows for a more flexible approach to work

What youll need to succeed:

We are looking for a candidate with relevant experience within the development management/ planning sector with or eligible for RTPI membership. The ideal candidate will have;

• Substantial experience in a planning role.
• Minimum degree level qualification in a relevant subject area or suitable equivalent.
• Expert knowledge and understanding of the legislative technical and key policy issues that underpin Development Management.
• Excellent communication skills and experience in dealing with complex customer queries.
• An eye for detail with an ability to write clear accurate and structured reports.
• Good presentation skills including the ability to present detailed information to a range of audiences.
• A proven ability and track record in managing complex caseloads to meet statutory deadlines and performance targets.
• You are people-focussed and enjoy building new relationships having coached and mentored others.

Other Information:

• The role involves regular travel. A valid driving licence and the ability to travel throughout Cornwall is required.
• The role is not politically restricted.

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

What youll get in return:

Cornwall Councils ambition is to be an employer of choice a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

a competitive salary.

a defined benefit pension scheme based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions

a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.

A national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme

Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.

Additional Information:

Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role

The full role profile is attached here

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact

Application Process

Please attach a supporting statement to your application you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV. Remember to demonstratewhy you are suitable against each of the points marked as Application on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here The application process.

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted please contact if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.